Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed A Magic Steeped in Poison. It had a lush background of Chinese heritage mixed with the added fun of a magic system based on tea brewing. I personally love any kind of Chinese mythology and lore so I found this to be a fun way to explore the art of tea brewing as well as ancient Chinese medicine. Watching Ning navigate the grief of her mother's passing due to tea steeping elevated the stakes as Ning competed in the Kingdom's competition. The tea element is woven heavily throughout the book, so that certainly did not disappoint as a central focus of the story.
I thought the love interest was very YA appropriate, but perhaps a tad bland. I didn't dislike him, but I wasn't fully invested in him either. The book follows a very methodical approach for a YA fantasy book in terms of plot progression and character development. For a debut book, it's about as I expected. Nothing too surprisingly, but still quite enjoyable.
I thought the love interest was very YA appropriate, but perhaps a tad bland. I didn't dislike him, but I wasn't fully invested in him either. The book follows a very methodical approach for a YA fantasy book in terms of plot progression and character development. For a debut book, it's about as I expected. Nothing too surprisingly, but still quite enjoyable.